4U7- 


if 

tamed  November  13. 11 

,  S.  DF^ARTME^^F^WCULTURl-:, 
BUREAU  OF  STATISTICS— Circular  Letter 

VICTOR   11.  OLMSTED,  Chief  oh  1 


DATES  OF  SOWING  AND  HARVESTING. 

Prepared  by  James  R.  Covert,  Division  of  Production  and  Distribution. 


The  object  of  this  circular  letter  is  to  acquaint  the  public  with  the 
partial  results  of  a  recent  investigation  by  this  bureau  as  to  the  dates 
of  sowing  and  harvesting  the  principal  crops  of  all  countries.  The 
work  has  been  in  progress  for  the  last  two  years,  that  portion  of  it 
which  relates  to  the  cereal  and  forage  crops  of  the  United  States  has 
been  completed,  and  that  relative  to  truck  crops  is  in  process  of 
execution.  The  results  will  be  published  in  a  series  of  bulletins,  the 
first  of  which  is  now  in  pre--. 

While  this  study  of  cereal  and  forage  crops  has  revealed  many 
interesting  phenomena  and  has  resulted  in  the  collection  of  valuable 
data,  it  i^  believed  that  the  study  of  vegetable  crops  will  disclose 
fact-  of  -till  greater  interest  and  will  advance  and  coordinate  our 
knowledge  of  the  trucking  industry. 

In  the  investigation  of  dates  of  sowing  and  harvesting  the  cereal 
and  forage  crops  information  was  liberally  supplied  by  those  corre- 
spondents of  this  department  who  are  engaged  in  growing  these 
crop-,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  those  engaged  in  market 
gardening  will  manifest  a  like  interest  in  the  subject  of  vegetable 
growing  and  respond  with  equal  generosity. 

A  few  graphic  illustrations  and  summary  tables,  reprinted  from 
Bulletin  85  of  this  bureau — entitled  "  Seedtime  and  Harvest  ;  Cereal-. 
Flax.  Cotton,  and  Tobacco:  Dates  of  Planting  and  Harvesting  in  the 
United  State-  east  of  meridians  102-10 L  by  James  Tv.  Covert  ** — are 
presented  here  to  show  the  scope  and  thorough n<es-  «>f  the  investiga- 
tion. Corn  and  winter  wheat  are  selected  a-  subject^  of  illustration: 
they  are  widely  cultivated,  are  of  great  economic  import*  nee.  am] 
readily  lend  themselves  to  the  purpose. 

Figure  1   show-  those  sections  of  the  United   State-  wherein,  ac- 


cording to   this   investigation,  corn    planting  begins  siniultanebusty. 
14582°— 11  !  i 


Z  SOWING   AND    HARVESTING. 

Corn  planting  is  first  observed  on  the  chart  about  February  15  of 
normal  years,  the  first  planting  taking  place  in  southern  Florida 
and  Texas.  Fifteen  days  later  corn  planting  is  observed  in  northern 
Florida,  southern  Louisiana,  and  central  Texas,  and  by  May  15  the 
movement  has  progressed  as  far  north  as  southern  Maine,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Vermont,  central  New  York,  northern  Wisconsin,  Minne- 
sota, and  North  Dakota. 

The  curves  in  the  lines  of  the  chart  are  a  significant  feature.    They 
indicate  the  result  of  influences  exerted  upon  planting  by  topography. 


s  U»VN  s  A  s    \^^<\J^ — zzz^^ 


a*** 


Af** 
.IS 


MAP./ 


\  *.  ti 


J  • 


zx 


\,V1AR.I 


r 


FEB. 


\f£B.lS 


J'  IGl  BE    1. 


-Lines  of  average  dates  of  the  beginning  of  lield-eom  planting  east  of  meridians 
102-204. 


soil  conditions,  rainfall,  and  latitude.  Sometimes  one  set  of  influ- 
ences prevails,  sometimes  another.  Again,  several  combined  influ- 
ences may  be  counterbalanced,  as  it  were,  by  one  con! rolling  influence. 
For  instance,  the  lines  in  western  Kansas  and  Nebraska  bend  slightly 
northward,  instead  of  abruptly  southward,  as  would  be  expected  in 
view  of  their  greater  altitude.  The  counterbalancing  influence  in  this 
cuse  is  believed  to  be  the  character  of  the  soil  which,  in  the  western 
portion  of  these  States,  is  sandy  and  therefore  readily  dries  out  and 


SOWING    AN  J)    HARVESTING. 


quickly  warms  up  in  spring.     The  influence  of  the  Great  Lak< 
shown  in  the  sinuous  line  bearing  the  date  May  L5. 

An  interesting  calculation  of  the  rate  of  progress  of  the  corn- 
pJanting  movement  was  made  from  data  collected  in  die  cereal  crop 
investigation,  and  is  illustrated  in  the  following  chart : 


18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28 


18 


13     20    21     22    23    24    25    26    27    28    29    3°     3I 


Figure  2. 


Kale  of  progress  in  miles  per  flay  of  the  mean  date  of  the  beginning  of  corn 
planting,  Texas  to  North  Dakota. 


In  working  out  the  details  of  this  investigation,  the  entire  United 

States  was  divided  into  approximately  equal  units,  each  about  7') 
miles  square,  and  by  selecting  units  which  extend  in  a  due  north  and 
south  line  it  was  comparatively  easy  to  calculate  the  rate  of  progress 
in  miles  per  day  of  the  corn-planting  movement. 


4  SOWING  AND   HARVESTING. 

The  following  explanation  of  figure  2  is  taken  from  Bulletin  85, 
Bureau  of  Statistics: 

At  the  starting  point,  near  Brownsville,  Tex.  (fig.  2),  planting  begins  on  the 
average  date  of  February  10.  The  movement  reaches  the  Texas-Oklahoma  line 
on  the  mean  date  of  March  12,  there  being  an  apparent  six-day  interval  between 
planting  in  northern  Texas  and  in  southern  Oklahoma.  The  movement,  there- 
fore, crosses  Texas  in  30  days.  The  actual  distance,  less  the  theoretical  dis- 
tance lost  by  reason  of  using  mean  dates,  is  about  540  miles,  and  the  rate  of 
progress  is  18  miles  per  day. 

From  the  mean  date  at  the  Texas-Oklahoma  line  (March  12)  to  the  mean  date 
at  the  Oklahoma-Kansas  line  (April  6)  25  days  elapse.  The  distance  from  one 
State  line  to  the  other  is  about  220  miles.  Planting,  therefore,  moves  north- 
ward through  Oklahoma  at  the  rate  of  9  miles  per  day.  The  rate  through 
Kansas,  computed  in  a  similar  manner,  is  10  milos;  through  Nebraska,  19 
miles;  through  South  Dakota,  50  miles;  and  through  North  Dakota,  44  miles 
per  day. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  rate  of  northward  movement  of  isotherms 
increases  with  the  distance  from  the  Equator;  hence  the  change  from  one 
season  to  another  is  more  abrupt  in  the  North  than  in  the  South  and  the  season 
of  growth  progressively  shorter. 


W/V-  Gf/V- 
/V//YG     ER/IL     6NDIN6 


b4%Z~gf%%~l  mm*  eeGiMMMG™? ewe 


-274p<4ys- 


-264  pays- 


Figure    3. — Length   of   sowing  and   harvesting   seasons   of   winter   wheat.      [Mean   of   28 

States.  | 

It  is  also  well  known  that  plant  growth  proceeds  more  rapidly  in  northern 
than  in  southern  latitudes  in  consequence  of  the  greater  number  of  daylight 
hours,  or  hours  of  possible  daily  plant  growth,  in  the  North. 

Now,  although  the  length  of  both  growing  period  and  of  growing  season  de- 
creases as  the  distance  from  the  Equator  increases,  yet.  because  the  rate  of 
decrease  in  length  of  growing  season  is  greater  than  the  decrease  in  length  of 
growing  period,  the  latter  tends  to  and  eventually  does  overtake  the  former  in 
northern  latitudes.     *     *     * 

By  referring  to  figure  2  it  will  be  seen  that  the  rate  of  northward  movement 
in  South  Dakota  is  not  fully  maintained  in  North  Dakota.  The  reason  i»  that 
before  the  spring  isotherms  associated  with  corn  planting  have  reached  southern 
North  Dakota  the  length  of  the  growing  period  is  already  in  excess  of  the 
growing  season,  and  only  a  slight  setting  back  of  the  corn-planting  date  is 
possible;  farmers  are  already  planting  corn  nearly  as  early  as  possible  in  that 
region.  Hence  the  rate  of  northward  progress  of  the  average  date  of  planting 
though  North  Dakota  decreases  as  compared  with  the  rate  in  South  Dakota. 

The  vertical  lines  on  the  foregoing  chart  represent  the  time  when 
winter  wheat  sowing  and  harvesting  begin,  when  they  are  general, 
and  when  they  end.  The  spaces  between  these  vertical  lines  represent 
the  number  of  days  elapsing  from  one  period  to  the  other.    The  mean 


BOWING    AND    HAB VESTING. 

Length  of  tlio  sowing  season  for  winter  wheat,  according  to  this 
chart,  is  34  days;  of  the  harvesting  season,  17  days. 

The  horizontal  lines  represent  the  number  of  day-,  elapsing  from 
the  time  when  winter  wheat  sowing  begins  until  harvesting  begins; 
the  days  elapsing  from  the  time  when  sowing  i-  general  until  har- 
vesting is  general;  and  the  day-  elapsing  from  the  time  when  sowing 
ends  until  harvesting  ends.  These  results  were  made  possible  by 
return-  from  several  thousand  correspondents,  representing  every 
agricultural  county  in  each  of  the  28  State-  reporting  the  growing 
of  winter  wheat. 

An  increase  in  Length  of  sowing  season  over  length  of  harvesting 
season  i^  also  noted  in  the  case  of  oat-,  rye.  barley,  buckwheat,  and 
flax;  but  in  the  case  of  corn,  cotton,  and  tobacco,  the  harvesting  sea- 
son  is  longer  than  the  -owing  season,  as  shown  by  chart  4. 


SOW//VG 

BEG/N-  G£H- 
A//A/G    ERAL     END/NG 


BEG/NN/WG- 


H/1f?V£ST//VG 

GENERAL        END/NG 


D/IVS 


-2/- 

D/)YS 


'/53MYS- 


D/tYo 


-/64MYS- 


-25- 

DAYS 


-/680/iYS- 


Figure  4. — Length  of  Bowing  and  harvesting  seasons  of  field  corn.     [Mean  of  .".7  States.] 

So  far  as  relate.-  to  wheat,  oats,  rye,  barley,  buckwheat,  and  ilax. 
figure  3  is  merely  an  arithmetical  illustration  of  the  struggle  of  a 
late-sown  plant  or  crop  to  reach  maturity  ere  it  is  overtaken  by  frost. 
In  the  case  of  cotton,  artificial  selection  and  cultural  methods  have, 
in  the  lapse  of  many  generations,  brought  about  a  prolongation  of  the 
fruiting  season. 

The  soil  temperature  at  which  corn  germinates  has  been  ascertained 
in  numerous  tests.  The  air  temperature  at  which  corn  planting 
begins  in  actual  practice,  however,  has  not  heretofore  been  estab- 
lished, but  from  data  assembled  in  the  study  of  cereal  crops  it  i- 
believed  to  be  approximately  55c  F.  Omitting  certain  localities 
(Central  Florida,  southern  Louisiana,  and  southern  Texas)  where 
the  mean  daily  normal  temperature  doc.-  not  fall  so  low  as  55°  F..  the 
variation  from  55c  F.  for  any  city  i-  slight.  The  method  by  which 
this  result  has  been  obtained  i>  described  in  Bulletin  85  and  Table  -28 
of  that  bulletin  is  reproduced  as  Table  1  on  page  G. 


b  SOWING   AND    HARVESTING. 

Table  1. — Relationship  of  average  date  of  the  beginning  of  CORN  planting  to 

isotherm  55°. 


IS 

I  lire 

lant- 

3>a 

f8 

3  d 

z  - 

f  lie- 
corn 

2  J- 

5  ~ 

5 

§  Pi 

o 

c3  Q. 

State  and  city. 

SO 

-  = 

a 

State  and  city. 

9  SP 

=-5 

B&2 

State  and  city. 

eo 

a  tc  ■ 

T5gM 

a>  be 

-.= 

E  ?,  e 

Sec 

5  = 

3 

C-  tx 

ell 

c  05 -H 

*Sj 

Z'=~ 

>    ti.— 

Zr.~ 

>  taoPn 

>  txft 

?^S 

< 

3 

< 

a 

< 

s 

Maine: 

°F. 

South  Carolina: 

°F. 

Missouri— Con. 

°F. 

Eastport 

May 

17 

47 

Charleston 

Mar.    15 

57 

Kansas  City.. 

Apr.   18 

55 

Portland 

May 

19 

54 

Columbia 

Mar.   11 

52 

St.  Louis 

Apr.    10 

56 

New    Hamp- 

Georgia: 
Atlanta 

Springfield . . . 

Apr.     3 

51 

shire: 

Mar.    18 

53 

North  Dakota: 

Concord 

May 

Ifi 

56 

...do 

56 

Mav    13 

May    20 

54 

Vermont: 

Macon 

Mar.    14 

54 

Devils  Lake.. 

54 

Burlington... 

May 

17 

55 

Savannah 

Mar.     7 

56 

Williston 

May    15 

54 

North  Held.... 

...do. 

54 

Thomasville. . 

Mar.     3 

58 

South  Dakota: 

Massachusetts: 

Florida: 

Huron 

Mav     8 

54 

Boston 

May 

11 

55 

Jacksonville.. 

Feb.   27 

59 

Pierre 

May     6 

56 

Nantucket... 

May 

6 

50 

Jupiter 

Feb.    15 

66 

Rapid  City... 

May     5 

51 

Rhode  Island: 

Key  West .... 

.. .do 

71 

Yankton 

May     7 

57 

Block  Island  . 

May 

10 

51 

Pensacola 

Mar.    13 

60 

Nebraska: 

Providence. . . 

...do. 

56 

Tampa 

Feb.    13 

61 

Lincoln 

Apr.   29 

57 

Connecticut: 

Ohio: 

North  Platte. 

May      1 

55 

Hartford 

...do. 

55 

Cincinnati 

Apr.   26 

58 

Omaha 

Mav     5 

59 

New  Haven. . 

...do. 

56 

Cleveland 

May     9 

56 

Valentine 

...do 

53 

New  York: 

Columbus 

May     5 

59 

Kansas: 

Albany 

May 

12 

58 

Sandusky 

May     2 

54 

Concordia 

Apr.  21 

56 

Binghamton.. 

Mav 

10 

55 

Toledo 

Mav     6 

56 

Dodge  C  it  v.. . 

Apr.     5 

51 

Buffalo 

Mav 

10 

55 

Indiana: 

Topeka.. 

Apr.   21' 

56 

Canton 

May 

12 

55 

Evansville 

Apr.  28 

61 

Wichita 

Apr.   10 

55 

Ithaca 

...do. 

56 

Indianapolis.. 

Apr.  29 

57 

Kentucky: 

New  York 

May 

8 

57 

Illinois: 

Lexington 

Apr.   17 

54 

Oswego 

Mav 

12 

53 

Cairo 

Apr.  25 
May     5 

61 

Louisville 

Apr.   18 

o< 

Rochester  — 

May 

11 

55 

Chicago 

53 

Tennessee: 

Svracuse 

May 

12 

56 

La  Salle 

...do 

57 

Chattanooga.. 

Mar.  31 

56 

New  Jersey: 

Peoria 

May     2 

57 

Knoxville 

Mar.   29 

52 

Atlantic  City. 

Mav 

2 

53 

Springfield . . . 
Michigan: 

Apr.  30 

58 

Memphis 

Mar.  27 

56 

Cape  Mav 

-..do. 

54 

Nashville 

Apr.     1 

54 

Pennsvlvania: 

Alpena 

May    16 

50 

Alabama: 

Erie 

May 

May 

11 
2 

50 
57 

Detroit 

Grand  Haven 

May   11 
May     8 

56 
52 

Anniston 

Birmingham  . 

Mar.   15 
...do 

52 

Harrisburg... 

56 

Philadelphia  . 

Apr. 

26 

55 

Grand  Rapids 

May    15 

59 

Mobile 

Mar.     8 

Ot 

Pittsburgh . . . 

May 

7 

60 

Houghton 

May   28 

54 

Montgomery  . 

Mar.  11 

0, 

Scranton 

May 

14 

58 

Marquette 

Mav    15 

49 

Mississippi: 

Maryland: 

Port  Huron.. 

Mav    11 

52 

Meridian 

Mar.  10 

00 

Baltimore 

Apr. 

81 

58 

Wisconsin: 

Vicksburg 

Mar.     5 

00 

Virginia: 

Green  Bay . . . 

May   18 

55 

Louisiana: 

Cape  Henrv . . 

Apr. 

10 

53 

La  Crosse 

Mav     9 

57 

New  Orleans. 

Mar.     1 

59 

Lvnchburg... 

Apr. 

20 

57 

Madison 

May     7 

54 

Shreveport . . . 

Feb.  28 

54 

lit.  Weather. 

Apr. 

27 

53 

Milwaukee . . . 

May    13 

52 

Texas: 

Norfolk 

Apr. 

10 

54 

Minnesota: 

Abilene 

Mar.     5 

50 

Richmond 

Apr. 

14 

57 

Moor  head 

...do 

54 

Corpus  Christi 

Feb.   10 

57 

Wvtheville... 

Apr. 

21 

54 

St.  Paul 

May   11 

56 

Fort  Worth.. 

Feb.  27 

52 

West  Virginia: 

Iowa: 

Galveston 

Feb.   18 

56 

Elkins 

Mav 

54 

Charles  City. . 

May     6 

56 

Palestine 

Feb.  23 

53 

Parkersburg. . 

Apr. 

27 

57 

Davenport.. . 

Mav     1 

57 

San  Antonio.. 

Feb.  21 

56 

North  Carolina: 

Dubuque 

May     4 

57 

Tavlor 

...do 

53 

Asheville 

Apr. 

12 

53 

Keokuk 

Mav     1 

58 

Oklahoma: 

Charlotte 

Apr. 

4 

56 

Sioux  City 

May     4 

57 

Oklahoma 

Apr.     3 

56 

Hatteras 

Mar. 

n 

53 

Missouri: 

Arkansas: 

Raleigh 

Mar. 

29 

54 

Columbia 

Apr.   17 

55 

Fort  Smith... 

Mar.   19 

52 

Wilmington.. 

Mar. 

20 

55 

Hannibal 

...do 

54 

Little  Rock. . 

Mar.   15 

52 

Mean  temperature  for  the  127  cities,  55c 


sow  INC   AND    HARVESTING.  t 

The  following  table  is  one  of  several  useful  compilations  resulting 
from  the  study  of  dates  of  sowing  and  harvesting  the  cereal  crops  of 
this  country : 

Table  2.     Mean   dates  of  sowing  and   harvesting  AVINTKH    WHEAT   in    the 

United  States,  by  States,  in  chronological  order. 


Vermont 

South  Dakota. . 
Pennsylvania. . 

Minnesota 

Michigan 

Iowa  

New  York 

Wisconsin 

Nebraska 

Indiana 

Missouri 

Ohio 

Kansas 

Illinois 

New  Jersey 

Oklahoma". 

.  iremia.. 

Maryland 

Kentucky 

Virginia 

Tennessee 

Arkansas 

Texas 

Delaware 

Alabama 

South  Carolina. 
North  Carolina. 
Georgia 


Sowing. 


Begin- 
ning. 


A  U«.  7 
Auk-  31 
Sept.    2 

Sept.  3 
..do 


Sept.     S 


Sept.  8 
Sept.  '.I 
Sept.  11 

Bept!  12 

..do 

Sept.  13 
Sept.   15 

Sept.    18 

Sept  19 
Sept  20 

Sept.  22 


Sept.  30 
Oct.  3 
Oct.  4 
Oct.  13 
Oct.     14 

..do 


General. 


Aug.  27 

Sept.  16 
Sept.  15 
Sept.  13 

Sept.  u 

Sept.  15 

Sept  is 

Sept.  14 

Sept  17 
Sept  21 

Sept.  2:! 
Sept.  24 
Sept.  26 
Sept.  24 

...do 

Sept.  30 

Sept.  2s 

Oct.     l 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Oct.    26 

Nov.    5 


Ending. 


Sept.     S 

Oct.    lo 

Oct.       4 

Sept.  21 

Sept.  26 
Sept.  27 
Oct.       2 

Sept.  2:. 

Oct.     6 

Oct.  7 
Oct.  10 
...do 

Oct.    24 

Oct.     s 

...do 

Oct.  29 
Oct.  15 
Oct.  20 
Oct.  25  I 
Oct.  21 
Nov.  14 
Nov.  6 
Nov.  18 
Oct.  26 
Nov.  22 
Dee.  8 
Nov.  15 
Nov.  28 


Texas 

May   29 

June     1 

South  Carolina 

June    3 

Arkansas 

June    6 

June  10 

North  Carolina 

Oklahoma 

June  11 
June  12 

Kentucky 

June   17 

June  20 

Missouri 

Delaware 

...do 

June  22 

Maryland 

June  23 

Illinois 

June  24 

Wesl  Virginia 

Indiana 

June  25 
June  20 

Kansas 

Ohio 

...do 

June  29 

New  Jersey 

Iowa 

Julv     3 
...do.... 

Pennsylvania 

Julv      4 
Julv     o 

Julv    10 

South  Dakota 

Minnesota 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Vermont 

July    14 
Julv    1.3 

...do 

Julv    10 
Julv    22 

Han 


Begin- 
ning. 


General. 


June     9 

..do 

June  13 

..do 

June  11 
June  20 
June  19 
June  23 
June  24 
June  20 
June  27 
June  24 
June  2s 
June  30 


Julv 
Julv 
Julv 
July 
July 
Julv 
July 
July 
Julv 
Julv 
Julv 

..do 

Julv    22 
Aim.     2 


Ending. 


June  22 

June  21 

June  24 

June  30 

June  26 

Julv  7 

Julv  3 

Do. 

Julv  o 

June  30 

Julv  7 

Do. 

Julv  10 

Do. 

Julv  14 

Julv  13 

July  16 

Julv  1") 

JulV  Is 

Julv  21 

Julv  2s 

Julv  31 

Julv  29 

Julv  31 

Julv  28 


Aug.  IS 


Mean  length  of  sowing  season,  34  days. 


Mean  length  of  harvesting  season,  17  days. 


Turning  now  from  the  cereal  crops,  the  study  of  which  has  been 
completed,  to  the  vegetable  crops,  the  study  of  which  is  about  to  be 
undertaken,  a  few  results  may  be  mentioned.  Centers  of  production 
will  be  mapped,  the  times  of  sowing  and  harvesting  and  regions  which 
compete  with  one  another  will  be  determined,  and  the  range  of  crops 
and  length  of  growing  season  will  be  ascertained. 

Distribution  is  ;i  serious  problem  not  yet  fully  solved  by  market 
gardeners.  It  is  desired  to  make  this  compilation  of  practical  value 
in  the  economic  distribution  of  truck  crops  and  to  bring  producer  and 
consumer  into  closer  touch  with  one  another. 

Victor  H.  Olmsted, 
Statistician  end  Chief  of  B<</r<i». 
Approved : 

James  WlLSi  \. 

Secretary  of  Agriculturi . 
Washington,  D.  C,  November  /.  1911. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 

mini  mm 

3  1262  09216  9027 


